Search form

military

The satellite communications that ships, planes and the military use to connect to the internet are vulnerable to hackers that, in the worst-case scenario, could carry out “cyber-physical attacks”, turning satellite antennas into weapons that operate, essentially, like microwave ovens.

The current plan for reorganizing the Pentagon’s space acquisition efforts and operations U.S. consists of four components: (1) forming a new combatant command, (2) pulling together a new warfighting community for space operations from all the other service branches, (3) creating a new joint agency to procure satellites for the military, and if everything goes well, ask Congress to (4) stand up “an entirely new branch of the military with services a

Defense Innovation Unit Experimental, the office charged with bringing Silicon Valley tech to the Pentagon, will now be known as Defense Innovation Unit, the department announced Thursday. The name change reflects military leaders’ “commitment to the importance of its mission” and signifies the permanence of the group within the country’s defense apparatus, according to Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan.

The Pentagon is in the final stages of preparing a report to lawmakers laying out the groundwork for the change, including initial steps they can make without Congress. But the final step--officially creating a new service branch—will require legislative authorization. And it is Senate Republicans who could stand in the way of Trump’s so-called Space Force; the House has already signaled its support for the move.

Space Force is getting closer to reality. As early as this week, the Pentagon is expected to announce various steps to reorganize the military’s space-related procurement and operations, culminating in a planned request for congressional action to authorize the creation of a separate service branch for space.

In coming months, Defense Department leaders plan to stand up three of the four components of the new Space Force: a new combatant command for space, a new joint agency to buy satellites for the military, and a new warfighting community that draws space operators from all service branches.

Within a decade, U.S. troops may get some supplies from prepositioned stocks in space -- if the Air Force’s mobility commander can make his vision come true. Gen. Carlton D. Everhart II is already talking with SpaceX and other space-services companies about that and other space-related initiatives, the leader of Air Force Mobility Command told reporters at a Defense Writers Group breakfast Thursday.

The Senate approved the compromise fiscal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in a 87-10 vote, sending it to Trump’s desk for his expected signature and keeping it on track to become law before the start of the fiscal year for the first time since the fiscal 1997 bill.

"Speed is of the essence in the digital age," said Lt. Gen. VeraLinn "Dash" Jamieson, deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance on the Air Staff at the Pentagon. She painted a grim picture: While "great instigator" Russia has the desire to do ambitious experiments with A.I., China already has the means.

Pages

Stay informed of latest news on STEM Education, innovation, science, and technology. Our newsletter aggregates the latest news, commentary, breaking reports, and videos from around the web and deliver them to your inbox.